Defend Survivors

BELIEVE PROTECT DEFEND

DEFENDING AND PROTECTING CHILDREN REPORTING SEXUAL ABUSE

BELIEVE. PROTECT. DEFEND.

The statistic no one talks about:
29% of child sexual abuse reports result in an arrest

That number even drops to 19% if the child is under 6 years old. How can it be that when a child takes the ultimate risk to say out loud the unimaginable trauma of being sexually abused that their abuser is not even arrested, let alone prosecuted or convicted? What if only 19-29% of child kidnappings resulted in an arrest? Whether there are visible injuries or not a child has been greatly harmed, and children and communities put at risk because a child was not believed, protected, and defended.

If a child reports, there must be trained professionals empowered to handle these unique cases and defend that child’s truth no matter what it takes. Laws need to be in place to protect a child during this process, and everyone involved needs to be trauma informed. If a child takes the ultimate risk to trust someone to tell what is happening to them, then we can’t let them down when they do.

Problem + Solution

UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM

CREATE THE SOLUTION

About

Who is Defend Survivors?

Defend Survivors is an blog inspired by a speech written by Sarah, a survivor, and run by Paula, Sarah's mother and now a Mother Advocate. In the speech, "It's Not Your Crime," Sarah describes a child’s perspective on what it is like to have a child abuse case turned down by the justice system, and how it negatively affects the survivor’s healing.

Our goal is that all children who report child sexual abuse are believed, protected, and defended. We are dedicated to making sure that survivors who report abuse and enter the justice system are positively affected and supported in their healing.

SARAH'S SPEECH

VOICES OF SURVIVORS

I’m not a victim.  I’m a survivor.

Aly Raisman

Defend Survivors
2018-04-02T13:17:15+00:00

Aly Raisman

I’m not a victim.  I’m a survivor.
How much is a little girl worth?

Rachael Denhollander

Defend Survivors
2018-04-02T13:17:47+00:00

Rachael Denhollander

How much is a little girl worth?
I don’t regret a single decision I ever made because I’m here.  I survived.

Elizabeth Smart

Defend Survivors
2018-04-02T13:18:21+00:00

Elizabeth Smart

I don’t regret a single decision I ever made because I’m here.  I survived.
Little girls don’t stay little forever.  They grow up into strong women that return to destroy your world.

Kyle Stephens

Defend Survivors
2018-04-02T13:19:01+00:00

Kyle Stephens

Little girls don’t stay little forever.  They grow up into strong women that return to destroy your world.
This is the way it is.  This is not the way it must remain.

Lucilia

Defend Survivors
2018-04-02T13:19:40+00:00

Lucilia

This is the way it is.  This is not the way it must remain.
I’ve been the little girl who told about sexual abuse and wasn’t taken seriously.

L. R. Knost

Defend Survivors
2018-04-02T13:20:25+00:00

L. R. Knost

I’ve been the little girl who told about sexual abuse and wasn’t taken seriously.
There is hope. There is always hope. This does not have to define you.

Elizabeth Smart

Defend Survivors
2018-04-01T16:27:30+00:00

Elizabeth Smart

There is hope. There is always hope. This does not have to define you.
I want everyone to feel that they belong and are worth standing up for.  That no matter what darkness you’ve lived through, there’s someone out there willing to carry the light that will lead you to your own true north.  That there is good in our world.

Oprah Winfrey

Defend Survivors
2018-04-01T16:32:14+00:00

Oprah Winfrey

I want everyone to feel that they belong and are worth standing up for.  That no matter what darkness you’ve lived through, there’s someone out there willing to carry the light that will lead you to your own true north.  That there is good in our world.
0
0
Defend Survivors

Latest Posts